Boaters, get ready to start your motors — and stay afloat

When I owned a boat, maintenance was always part of my
springtime agenda. The boat was a 19-foot fiberglass outboard. I
was lucky, because it never leaked the whole time I owned it, so I
was never worried about it sinking.

Bill’s Boathouse Marina,
Pierce County
Dept. of Ecology Photo

Knowing what I do today about the effect of oil on marine life,
I probably should have paid closer attention to my whole operation,
especially the fitness of the motor.

By the same token, the state is getting tougher on boat owners.
Some new no-nonsense penalties have increased fines fivefold over
previous state laws, and boat owners can now be hit with fines of
up to $100,000 a day.

Read on for concerns outlined in a news release from the
Washington Department of Ecology. Included is a checklist to help
you make sure your boat is not only seaworthy but able to travel
freely without leaving a trail of pollution.

“I know how it feels when you’re out on the water. You feel free
and the cares of world melt away. That’s why the time for a
maintenance check up is now, BEFORE you launch your boat for the
season.”

If your boat sinks, don’t blame the rain

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 10, 2008

OLYMPIA – Is your boat a member of the lonely boats club? Have
you visited it lately? Or has it sat neglected all winter long?

Worse yet, is there a chance your boat could be on the brink of
sinking?

Last year, 51 boats were reported sinking in Washington waters.
Just name a place — Puget Sound, Grays Harbor, Lake Roosevelt,
Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, Commencement Bay — and
unfortunately, there is probably a boat sinking right now.

And when boats sink, fuel, oil, grease, solvents and other
pollutants often get spilled into state waters. As little as a
quart of spilled oil, diesel or gasoline can contaminate acres of
water and can prove deadly to marine life. Juvenile fish, shellfish
larvae and other essential sea life are extremely sensitive to even
small amounts of oil or fuel products.

Under a new state law, the penalty for allowing oil and other
petroleum products to spill to water has increased fivefold. A
negligent boat owner could face a fine of up to $100,000 a day.
Additionally, boat owners are responsible for spill clean-up costs
and for the expense of restoring damages done to the natural
resources.

Most often, boats sink due to neglect. When boats are left
unattended for a while, a lot of things can go wrong. For
instance:

“I know how it feels when you’re out on the water. You feel free
and the cares of world melt away,” said Ecology’s Spills Prevention
Section Manager Chip Boothe. “That’s why the time for a maintenance
check up is now, BEFORE you launch your boat for the season.”

Top to bottom, inside and out, boat
maintenance

Consider starting every season with a tune-up and a test of your
boat’s warning alarms. And to ensure a safe boating season, make
sure any problems that need attention get it before the boat enters
the water.

Here is a basic boating checkup list that will decrease your
chance of problems:

· Check the hull for punctures or cracks — and repair.
· Check the condition of the drain plugs, and ensure that they are
installed securely.
· Check the rudder and fittings for deterioration.
· Change oil, filters, belts, spark plugs, wires, and coolant as
needed.
· Inspect fuel lines for cracks or leaks and the clamps for rust or
corrosion. Replace where needed.
· Be sure to lubricate all the moving parts such as the shift and
throttle cables with a marine lube.
· Check fuel tanks for damage or corrosion.
· If you did not add a fuel stabilizer to your tank before the end
of the last season, you may need to drain and replace the old
fuel.
· Check the bilge area for oily residue, and clean thoroughly.
Insert a bilge pillow in the area to absorb oils from future
leaks.
· Check the bilge pump, and make sure both the automatic and manual
operation work.
· Check the battery for water level and for corrosion on the
terminals. Recharge the battery if needed.

For safety’s sake, be sure you have properly fitting life
jackets on board for each person on your boat. A sinking boat can
put lives at risk, and the fuel or oil that is spilled degrades the
quality of the water we all enjoy.

Christopher,
You mean you never forgot to put the drain plug in the transom before you launched? The most common boat sinkings I’ve seen during a life around the water, are boats that sank at their buoys. There are people who forget the plug during launch then immediately tie their boat up and leave it. The other is the boat filling with rain at the buoy over an extended period. The transom is much lower than the sides and once waves can lap in, it’s gone.

The piece is a good reminder how mistakes affect others as well as ourselves.